Champ Huriwai learns surf lesson

A near-death experience in the surf at a west coast beach was a valuable lesson, a Northland sports champion says.

World street unicycling champion Christian Huriwai of Otaua, near Kaikohe, said almost drowning on New Year's Eve was a "good experience" because it taught him a few life lessons.

The 19-year-old hoped others would learn from his mistakes and "be a bit more careful" in the water.

"You always think it's not going to happen to you - but it can."

His main message was that swimmers should respect the power of the ocean and avoid going out of their depth.

Huriwai got into difficulty when he went for an early-morning swim with his friend Mike Padial, a top unicyclist from Nelson, off the Third Stream campsite south of Glinks Gully.

"The sea was really rough but it looked quite appealing. Some big waves were coming through so we thought, 'cool, let's have fun'."

He found himself in a rip and was at first pleased it was taking him further out. But he was pulled towards some big waves and found himself tiring.

Padial tried to pull him in but Huriwai told his friend to let him go.

"I was 100 per cent sure I was going to die then. I felt there was no chance."

The waves pushed him under the water and he was ready to let the water take him away.

However, the "pain of dying" each time he started to give up gave him an energy boost that brought him back to the surface. Then, to his surprise, his feet touched sand. He doesn't remember being dragged out of the water, nor the 14km drive along the beach. A visiting policeman and retired ambulance officer nursed him as he vomited repeatedly.

He went to Dargaville Hospital for a check-up but was able to return to his campsite the same night. Huriwai was crowned world street unicycling champion in Wellington in 2010 and hopes to defend his title later this year.